Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-11-10

"Once upon time some old sea cap
tain whose stout ship carried rich bales
| of merchandise from strange foreign
lands, brought this shawl to Cousin
Charity. Perhaps he was her lover"
soliloquized, dreamily.
How faint and sweet the odor clingihg
about it; blended essence, it seemed, OF
sandal wood, musk, and rose leaves.
It had for me the intangible poetic
charm of an old painting, a piece of rare
time yellowed lace, or one of those quain.
spinets upon which our grandmOthers
used to accompany themselves as they
sung long ago ballads of tenderness and
sentiment, now almost forgotten. Songs
like that pensive one beginning, "Faintly
flow, thou falling river" or
'When twilight dews are falling fast
Upon rosy sea-
| watch that star, whose beams so oft
Have lighted me to thee.
Thus while my vivid imagination was
weaving web of romance around the
broche shawl, the carriage stopped
Looking out I saw that we were before the
stone steps of handsome country res
idence. The lawns were spacious and
beautifully kept, fountains threw up
showers of silvery spray, and bright
|
friend came out to give me cordial wei
come. The week that followed was a
very happy one; the house was full of
guests, and each day some well-planned
excursion among the hills, ride. drive,
or rowing party kept us out in the pure,
soft air all day, to return for music or
quiet talk in the evening. Everywhere
we went my broche shawl was admired.
Among these gay, aristocratic people it
| seemed to give ne q certain prestige,
something like that unwritten certificate
of good birth, which the possession of a
valuable ancestral portrait, an antique
silver tea set, or a family ring, whereon
the heraldic device is partly obliberated
| by time, is supposed to bestow upon its
| fortunate owner.
| It was taken for granted that young
lady who possessed a shawl so unquestion-
ably family relic must have had at least
| one grandmother of taste, culture and
social position. For that matter we were
well enough descended, it is true, but
alas! it is equally true that several gener-
atoms of accomplished, scholarly and
| genially improvident ancestors had eff
| fectually made away with the family es-
| tates, and with every relic of our grand
eur in the old colonial days.
There was enough of the inherited es-
thetic taste in my character, however, to
make me keenly appreciate the life OF
ease, refinement, and careless pleasure
that these people lived. How delightful
to me the bright talk, the well-lighted,
flower decked rooms, and the dreamy
keeping time to STRAUSS waltz music.
When we danced Mr.. Lascelles was usual
| ly my partner. I grew at last to expect
him, and was disappointed if he did not
spend the larger portion of the evening
at my SIDE Marmaduke, or Duke Las
celles, as his friends called him, was
liked by all who knew him-an artist of
rare genius, handsome and kind-hearted,
how could he be otherwise? Very differ
emit was his conversation from the 1nsi p1d
small talk of the young men whom L had
hitherto met. He seemed to understand
at once those aspirations, hopes, dreams,
and monitions of my soul, which, until
now, [ had kept locked away in my heart
Of hearts, despairing of ever finding
sympathy or comprehension in another.
An Imaginative girl, with nature warm
and unspoiled by the world. could not
fail to respond to the destinations of such
a man.
began to dread the time when I should
see him no more, and felt that the cold,
matter -of-fact life of my cousins p1ri
| tanic household at Highbury would seem
darkly dreary after this visit.
When my friends mother suggested
my staying another week at Dalesmere
my heart gave joyous throb of relief.
When she added that it might be we'll to
| have her coachman take me in the car
riage to Highbury, that might tell Cou-
sin Charity of my intention to make a
| longer visit, consented at once, and SO
| one Saturday morning went over the
hills again. Only week, yet it had
changed my entire life. Earth and sky
were new for me, and in fancy the deep
tones of a beloved voice sounded in my
ears, drowning the song of birds and the
/ chant of summers insects. [ walked with
my head in rosy clouds, under the great
| influence of that sweet intOxication-a
first great love. Truly, it is foodtide
of joyons inspiration. ana makes us all
poets for once in our lives, at least. And
now how longed to make myself lovely
in his sight; rich attire assumed in my
estimation a new and peculiar value. a
desirability almost pathetic in the impro-
liability of my possessing it.
We arrived in Highbury about noon
and drew up before the oldfashioned
white house. The green blinds we're
solemnly closed and 1 felt sense of
sacrilege in even touching the brass
knocker at the massive front door. There
fore, when nay cousin Julian came out
at a side entrance and told me the family
was at the dinner table | went in at the
dining room door. always experienced
chill upon entering that solemn apart
ment, for a rigid silence at mealtime
was coneidered good department at Cou-
sin Charity's, talking evidently being re-
garded as frivolous waste of time ex-
tremely unbecoming in any New England
person, and my feeble attempts at con-
versation were merely tolerated. Cou-
sin Roger, to be sure had rudy, good
humored face, and it used to seem that
that he could have been quite Jolly
companion at any other table than his
own, where that little pale-eyed, mouse
like woman apparently had petrifying eff
feet upon him. Butthat day manners were
not quits SO stiff and constrained as usual
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